By William Opalka
Tennessee Gas Pipeline is asking Massachusetts regulators to grant it access to more than 400 properties whose owners have refused to cooperate with the company as it prepares for construction of the Northeast Energy Direct project.
In a petition to the Department of Public Utilities, the pipeline said access is needed to conduct “civil, archeological and cultural resources, wetlands and waterbody delineation, and endangered or rare species” surveys as part of the project’s review by federal regulators (16-03).
The order would be “preliminary to eminent domain” actions if property owners continue to refuse permission. The project would transport natural gas from Pennsylvania into New England. (See Northeast Energy Direct Files for FERC Certificate.)
“Tennessee has in good faith made efforts to obtain survey permission from owners of survey properties, including sending at least two letters requesting survey permission and attempting to discuss the request in person or via telephone,” the petition says. “Many survey property landowners have granted Tennessee permission to conduct the surveys.”
However, 408 have “either expressly refused to grant Tennessee permission to conduct the surveys or not granted Tennessee permission to conduct the surveys,” the petition says.
“These landowners are minding their own business and seeking to simply live their lives in peace. We are working to ensure that they have the legal guidance they need to deal with this assault on their privacy and unjustified intrusion on their property,” Kathryn Eiseman, president of the Pipe Line Awareness Network for the Northeast, said in a statement.
The company, a unit of Kinder Morgan, said it needs a 400-foot wide corridor along the project’s route. It said that Massachusetts law allows granting of the order before FERC gives final approval for the project.
The department has scheduled six hearings statewide on the company’s request, starting in Pittsfield on March 29. Written comments will be accepted through May 6.
EnSync Energy Systems of Menomonee Falls, Wis., has set up a Hawaii hydroponic and aquaponics company to detach from the grid entirely. Using an energy management system composed of solar generation and batteries, Mari’s Garden in Mililani, on Oahu, is operating the water pumps for its hydroponic and fish farming operation off the grid.
FirstEnergy has named Marty Richey the site vice president at the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station in Shippingport, Pa. He takes the place of Eric Larson, who will represent FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. as a loaned executive to the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations in Atlanta.
Sumitomo Corp. is starting up its new power storage system, Willey Battery Utility, in Hamilton, Ohio, which will participate in PJM’s frequency regulation market.
PSEG Solar Source is increasing its solar capacity to 214.6 MW with the $110 million acquisition of projects in California and Utah from Colorado solar developer juwi Inc.
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $4 million to Commonwealth Edison to create solar and battery storage technology in its microgrid demonstration project in the Bronzeville neighborhood in Chicago. The grant is part of the department’s SunShot Initiative.
Duke Energy says it installed more than 300 MW of solar generation in North Carolina this year, eclipsing its record of 160 MW the year before.
Houston-based Southwestern Energy said it is laying off 1,100 employees, including 600 throughout its Fayetteville Shale operations in Arkansas, amid a steady decline in natural gas prices.
Enel Green Power North America has started construction on a 108-MW wind farm southwest of Oklahoma City, its seventh such project in Oklahoma.
Peabody Energy announced it is selling its share of the troubled Prairie State Energy Campus in Missouri to Wabash Valley Power Association for $57 million.
Shareholders of Piedmont Natural Gas approved the sale of the company to Duke Energy for $4.9 billion. Of about 81 million eligible voting shares, about 54 million voted in approval, with 1.1 million against.
The 3rd Annual Grid Modernization Index, a ranking of the progress of states and D.C. toward developing a modernized electric grid, once again scores California on top, followed by Illinois, Texas, Maryland and Delaware.
Scientists said that 2015 was the world’s hottest year on record, breaking 2014’s record, and it was the second-warmest on record for the lower 48 states.
The Energy Information Administration said it expects renewable energy sources to increase by about 9.5% in the U.S. in 2016 but said it doesn’t expect much of a boost in subsequent years because of the recently extended energy tax credits.
The Department of the Interior on Friday unveiled 
Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good said the federal Clean Power Plan, with its stringent emissions regulations, is going to force many of the nation’s coal-fired plants to close. Good said she thinks the CPP and carbon limits will eventually shift the spotlight to nuclear energy.
